A clean-shaven face makes you look instantly put together—which is why you know to shave before important events, like an interview or a wedding.

Another reason to go fuzz-free? Your partner won’t complain about being left with abrasions after a long make-out session. But nothing brings down the allure of a newly shaven face quite like those razor bumps or rough patches.

TIPS & TRICKS:

1. Store your blade in a bit of pre-shave oil or use a razor shield product to preserve the life of your razor.

2. Avoid shaving against the grain, as it can cut hair below the skin and cause ingrown hairs or more serious infections, not to mention pain and discomfort.

3. If you’re prone to ingrown hairs or have sensitive skin, use a disposable razor or cartridge no more than five times before switching to a new one. This will maximize results and minimize cuts and irritation, Virgil says.

Wash your face with soap and warm water to remove oils from the hair and skin, and to allow whisker softening to occur. Or better yet, shave after a shower when hair is fully saturated with water.

2. Apply a thick layer of shaving cream or gel

Next apply a thick layer of shaving cream or gel, and allow it to sit on skin approximately three minutes.

Keeps moisture on the skin to enhance softening

Reduces friction caused by the razor going over the skin's surface

Carries away debris removed by the razor blade

Enables you to see the area already shaved

3. Remember to shave in the direction of hair growth

Take your time and shave carefully over sensitive areas. For a closer shave, carefully shave against the grain of hair growth.

4. Rinse with cold water

Immediately rinse with cold water to remove any traces of soap or lather.

5. Complete your shaving regimen with an aftershave product

Complete your shaving regimen with an aftershave product to soothe sensitive areas. Skin can be irritated by the alcohol found in many aftershave splashes, so use an appropriate cream or gel aftershave product if you have sensitive skin.Use a clean, sharp blade. Newer blades require less force to cut through the hair than dull blades. Since you don't need much pressure with a new blade, you'll reduce the risk of nicks and cuts.

One of the keys to a great close shave without irritation or razor burn is to make sure your beard is thoroughly wet. Facial hair will absorb moisture up to 30% of its volume. Hair swollen with water becomes quite weak and therefore easier to cut. Showering before shaving is the ideal way to ensure you beard is properly moistened. If a shower is not possible, rinse your face and then apply a warm moistened towel to your face for at least a couple of minutes. This is the technique that barbers use. Never shave cold or apply shaving products to a dry face - this is one of the leading causes of razor burn and shaving rash.

2. Use a Quality Shaving Cream

Use a shaving cream that has a high concentration of lubricants (eg silicones) and moisturizers. The best shaving creams create a rich creamy lather and do not foam up like the cheaper drug store brands. The less "foaming" in the shave cream the better, as it is what is in contact with the skin and beard that matters - all else is wasted. Less resistance, less irritation and less nicks also mean a longer lasting blade! While the primary function of the shaving cream is to lubricate your face so that the razor will glide smoothly and effortlessly across the surface, it also serves to lock the moisture into the whiskers, keeping them soft and upright, primed for the cut. The ideal scenario is to leave the shaving cream on your face for at least a minute before you begin cutting, so that the beard is as soft and wet as possible.

3. A Shaving Brush is One of the Best Tools

One of the best tools you can use to achieve the optimum shave is a shaving brush (as top barbers do). A shaving brush does a couple of things. First, it helps raise the hair so that a closer cut is possible. Second, it helps create a rich creamy lather with the shaving cream that stays close to the skin. And, finally, it helps remove dead skin cells (exfoliation) which reduces the chance of blemishes, razor bumps and also helps the skin look and feel smooth and healthy. Always look for a shaving brush with bristles that have the right balance between softness (to create a rich creamy lather that stays close to the skin) and resistance to raise the beard (making a closer cut easier!)

4. Use a Quality Razor and Change the Blades

Always use a good quality sharp razor blade. Be sure the blade is sharp. You're not just cutting off hair, you're also scraping off up to two layers of surface skin when you shave. A dull blade is more traumatic to the skin, making your face feel scratchy and look blotchy - a dull razor is one of the contributing factors to razor burn and shaving rash. Depending on the toughness of your beard, change the blade somewhere between every three and every ten shaves, if you shave every day. Two weeks is too long to go without changing blades. Regardless of the number of shaves, if the blade becomes dull, ditch it.As to which brand of razor to use - we think you can't go wrong with any of the Gillette Mach series. Of course there are very high quality and expensive razors available at specialty retailers that you may want to try.Rinse your blade under hot water before you begin to shave and after every few swipes. This removes the accumulated shaving cream, whiskers, and skin gunk. The use of hot water here is to help lubricate, has nothing to do with "killing bacteria."

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Don’t rush through a shave. That’s a good way to abuse your face. Instead, spend the necessary time prepping your skin for the razor.Start by washing your face. Facial cleansers work best because they help soften the protein in the hair, says Jeffrey Benabio, MD, a dermatologist with Kaiser Permanente in San Diego. Harsh soaps, on the other hand, wash away hair-softening oils. Leave the cleanser on your face for one minute before you rinse.Next, lather up with shaving cream or gel. (Benabio says it doesn’t matter which, but choose one labeled "for sensitive skin" if you need it.) Then let it sit for 2 to 3 minutes. You can comb your hair or brush your teeth to pass the time."That’s an important step," Benabio says. "That really softens the hair and makes a one-pass shave possible."Dermatologist Adam Penstein, MD, agrees."The longer you let it sit, the better, although spending the time is not always practical," says Penstein, chief of dermatology at North Shore-LIJ Health System in Lake Success, N.Y.

2. Brush Up

Don't rely on your fingers to lather your shaving cream. Get a brush."A good brush really pushes the cream into the hair and makes it much easier to shave," says Penstein.Benabio recommends using a badger hair brush for its ability to lift the hairs and really coat them with cream.When it comes to razors, both Benabio and Penstein say there's no need to fool with multiblade razors. A single blade will work fine, though Benabio favors a double-bladed razor for his shaves. The important thing to keep mind, they say, is that the blade you use must be sharp. Discard it if you see a nick in the blade; otherwise, if you shave most days, change blades every week or two How often you must change blades is another good reason to stick with inexpensive single blades rather than three- or five-blade razors, which can be quite costly. The more expensive the blade, the less likely you may be to change them as often as you should.As for straight razors, Penstein advises leaving those to the pros. "They're much harder to handle and to keep even," he says, "and they're not as safe."Barber Charles Kirkpatrick says straight razors are a lot harder to use and that it's easy to get hurt with one."Some people say it's daring to use it, but I love the word safety, myself," says Kirkpatrick, an executive officer with Barbers International and owner of a barber shop in Arkadelphia, Ark.

3. Hot and Cold

Another key to a good shave is keeping the skin hot and moist. A great way to do this, Penstein says, is to shave in the shower or just after you get out. At the barbershop, Kirkpatrick piles on hot, moisturized towels to prep the skin and then again during the shave to keep the hairs soft.One big advantage Kirkpatrick says the pros have over home shavers is the ability to warm their shaving lather. You can buy kits to do this, but Kirkpatrick says they tend to clog when not used often.Follow your shave with a cold water rinse. "Cold water reduces inflammation. It's like putting a cold compress onto an injury," Penstein says.

4. Go With the Grain

Penstein and Benabio both recommend shaving with the grain -- that is, in the direction your hair is growing. Though you may get a closer shave if you go against it, you make razor burn or ingrown hairs more likely.Softening the hair first, as described above, should allow you a close, comfortable shave in one with-the-grain pass. That's ideal, Penstein says."The more time you go over an area, the more irritation you'll get," he says.If you have thick hair, Benabio says, it's particularly important to go with the grain.

5. Occasionally, Let Someone Else Do the Work

More men are getting professional shaves, a change from recent decades, Kirkpatrick says.A typical pro shave, he says, lasts 12 to 25 minutes. All you do is lie back and relax."The time depends on how many hot towels you want to use and if you get a facial massage to go with it," Kirkpatrick says. "Once in a while, you need a professional job."